Christmas Guests and Troubles
by realfanficts
Summary: When Starfire learns about Christmas, she persuades Robin to invite some of their friends over for the festivities. But it's not all fun and games: evil is on the loose, and it's up to the Titans to stop it before it ruins the holiday. Rated T for safety.
1. Former Leader of the HIVE Five

**IMPORTANT A/N!!!!!!! Read this before you go on to the story.** Before I say anything else, **this is NOT a songfic!!!!!!!** But each chapter **is** based off a line of **my original titan's version **of _The Twelve Days of Christmas_. By the way, if anyone wants to use it and/or tweak it for their own use, be my guest. All I ask is for you to let me know, so I can see if you're doing it justice (and perhaps add a new favorite to my favorite authors or stories).

This was my first actual idea for a story in the Teen Titans universe, though as you can see, I do have other ideas, now.

Also, I'm trying to write this so a newcomer to this universe, one who's never seen an episode in their life, can at least get a general idea of what's going on.

And one final thing; chronologically this story takes place after the movie "Trouble in Tokyo." There could possibly be spoilers in a later chapter.

**DISCLAIMER:** Do you really think that I'd be writing fanfiction if I owned the Teen Titans? Get real! I'd probably be looking for some place to hide from all the angry fans wanting the show to be brought back. LOL! And I won't be posting disclaimers on every chapter, either. I'll refer the critic back to this chapter. Thanks to dlsky for that idea. Saves lots of time.

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_On the 1__st__ day of Christmas, Jump City brought to me: the former leader of the Hive Five._

"Robin!" called the cheerful voice of Starfire, as she floated through the halls of the tower. She stopped and called again. "Robin? Where are you?" She floated on.

She came to the common room, where a small, green-skinned elflike teen in a purple uniform and a large half-man, half-robot were busy playing some kind of video game. The red-haired, orange-skinned alien addressed them. "Friends Beast Boy and Cyborg, have either of you seen Robin?"

The half-machine, half-man (Cyborg, evidently) paused the game, eliciting a surprised "Huh?" from his companion. "Sorry," he said, turning around to make contact with her otherworldly, jade-colored eyes. "What did you say? I was too busy beating string bean here."

"Whatcha say?" commented the elfin teen (Beast Boy). "I was just about to win!" He grinned, his prominent bucktooth curled over his upper lip like a fang. Cyborg gave him a contemptuous look, muttering, "Like that'll ever happen."

"Yes. I inquired as to whether or not you know Robin's location. He is not in his room, nor is he in the training room or the evidence room. I cannot think where else he may be." She looked down at the floor, wringing her hands nervously.

Beast Boy scratched his head, muttering to himself. He got up and started pacing back and forth in front of the screen, walking first one way, then doing an about-face and walking in the opposite direction.

Cyborg rolled his human eye at his friend's antics, but his red robotic eye dimmed while he thought. After a few seconds, he sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, Starfire. I don't know where he is. But I do know—"

"Aha!" exclaimed Beast Boy, startling the other two. "I don't know where he is, but I bet I know what happened to him!" Now he started whispering. "He was kidnapped. Now if only I knew which set of monsters did it." He began listing the options—everything from radioactive gorilla zombies to a horde of rabid fan girls.

"You don't think—" began Starfire, biting her fingernails, before Cyborg cut her off with a hand gesture. "No, the little grass stain is just spazzing out again. Now, as I was going to say before I was interrupted," he glared at Beast Boy, who gave a sheepish smile, "I know how we can locate him."

Starfire blinked, frowning in confusion, then a look of dawning comprehension spread across her face. Beast Boy just looked confused. "How's that?" he asked. "The Titan Mainframe, remember?" answered Cyborg, walking over to the keyboard next to the window and typing in some commands.

"Oh, yeah. I knew that!"

"But you just asked him how. Is what you said before false?"

"No, Starfire. He was being sarcastic. Now, there you go." Cyborg entered one final sequence into the console. "A map of Jump City. See?" he said, pointing at four blips on the screen. "You, me, and Beast Boy are here in the common room, and Raven is in her room."

"But where is Robin's communicator? I do not see it anywhere on this map of the city."

Cyborg looked closer. "You're right. Well, as I have said before, it doesn't work if he's shut off his communicator." He shrugged. "Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"It not your fault, friend Cyborg." Starfire left, once again floating through the hall. "Where could he be?" she wondered quietly, not paying attention to where she was going.

"Where could who be?" croaked a droning, almost monotone voice from directly in front of her.

Starfire squeaked in surprise and came to a full halt. "Oh! Friend Raven!" She addressed the girl in the dark blue cloak. "I thought you were in your room." 

"I was." The lavender-eyed girl answered simply. "Now, what were you musing about before you almost flew into me?"

"I was simply wondering where Robin could be. Perhaps, you would know where he is?"

"Sorry, Star, I don't."

"Oh, well. Thank you Friend Raven. Farewell for now!" She cheerfully moved on.

"No problem, Star." And with the barest hint of a smile, Raven also moved on, floating up and phasing through the ceiling in a swirl of black energy.

Meanwhile, the object of Starfire's search was currently at the post office, mailing several official looking envelopes.

As he exited the federal building, his red cape, white eye-mask and green body suit (with a prominent white "R" displayed on the chest) attracted the notice of several passerby—particularly a gaggle of giggling fan girls. However, before they could do more than stare, he jumped onto a red motorbike and roared off toward the tower.

But he was immediately forced to moderate his speed as the ice and snow on the road caused him to skid.

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Starfire sat on the roof, contemplating the sunset. It never ceased to fascinate her—the sunsets on her home world of Tamaran were never so colorful as the ones on Earth.

Her reverie was broken, however, by the sound of a motorcycle pulling up to the Tower. Immediately her face broke into a radiant smile that could've competed with the sunsets she so admired, and she flew down to the garage, where Robin was just turning off his vehicle and pulling off his helmet.

"Robin!" she exclaimed, and pulled him into a crushing hug. "You have returned!" she said, unaware that his face was slowly turning blue from lack of oxygen. She released him, oblivious to his sigh of relief, only to grab his hand and start dragging him toward the main entrance to the Tower. "Come, there is something I wish to discuss with you."

"Star, could you please let go of my hand? I can't feel my fingers."

"Oh, sorry, Robin," she apologized, releasing his hand as they walked through the door and it shut behind them. "I forgot how frail your species is compared to mine.

"That's fine," he said, waving it off. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I have been studying about this planet's customs and holidays, and I couldn't help noticing, the day known as Christmas is coming soon. I have heard that this is supposed to be a time of great joy and celebration. Is this true?"

"Yes. Christmas is supposed to be a holiday to celebrate with friends and family, sharing gifts and having a good time. Though I've never really had the time to get into the spirit of the season. I've always been too busy fighting crime."

"But, ever since we did the kicking of the butt with the Brotherhood of Evil, have we not had more time?"

Robin was brought up short at this. "You know, you're right. I never thought about that."

"What a joyous occasion! We must have a party. We must invite our other friends. We—" Robin cut her off, anticipating a long ramble of what they were required to do.

"Yes, Star, I know. But first, we need to tell the others."

At this she gave him another quick hug and zoomed down the hall, intent on informing the other residents of the tower. After Robin recovered his equilibrium, he shook his head and brought out a handheld device, one that looked like a yellow walkie-talkie and emblazoned with a red T.

"Calling Titans East and all Honorary Titans. No, this is not an emergency. Something has just been brought to my attention…"

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Not five minutes after the call went out, two figures arrived in a flash of color, on the shore of the tower's island. One had red hair and was dressed in red pants and gloves, a yellow shirt decorated with a red lightning bolt on the chest, and a yellow eye-mask that did nothing to actually hide his brilliant, blue eyes. Covering his ears were two red lightning bolts that pointed back the way he'd come from (some people commented that all this made him look slightly like an oversized chicken, but it didn't seem to really bother him).

He was carrying the other—a teenage girl with pink eyes, who was dressed in blue and black from head to toe. She had pale, grayish skin and long, vivid pink hair, which was bound in such a way that it looked more like a pair of horns pointing up and behind her than it did braids.

He set her down, and she blinked a couple of times. She swayed, as if she was dizzy, and would have fallen if it hadn't been for her companion steadying her. "I suppose I should be used to jet lag by now, traveling with you," she complained. "Do you really have to go that fast?"

"That's the slowest I can go when using my powers. Sorry, but I wanted to get you here fast."

"Where IS here, anyway?"

He pointed behind her. She finally turned and saw the tower. Her jaw dropped. "T-titan's T-tower?" she managed to stutter. "But, I don't understand," she said turning back to him. "It's on an island."

"You mean I never told you? I'm fast enough that I can run over water, a fact I'm quite proud of. Now, I've got somewhere I need to be." He turned as if to leave. However, she reached out a hand and grabbed his shoulder. She looked—well, let's just say she looked pissed.

"Wait! Two things, before you go. Where exactly are you going? And why are you leaving me here? Even with the help I gave them against the Brotherhood of Evil, I doubt I'm one of their favorite people. Years of me being a member of…no, not just member, but **leader** of the HIVE is undoubtedly still fresh in their minds."

"Um, Jinx, that kind of turned into a speech, and I don't do so well with speeches." He shrugged his shoulders and gave an apologetic smile.

"FINE! I'll say it simply! Why are you leaving me here among my former enemies ALL ALONE?!" As she said this, her eyes turned completely pink and started glowing, along with her hands. Her grip tightened on his shoulder, causing him to wince. He gently pried off the offending hand.

"Eh, don't worry, you'll be fine. It's just a Christmas party. And I won't be gone more than a couple days. Family reunion, that sort of thing." He said all this quickly, with his hands up defensively, and was backing away slowly. VERY slowly.

"Fine." She calmed down, and the glow faded, but she still looked quite apprehensive. "But if they throw me in jail, you're dead."

"I'll just be going then," and with another flash of color, he was gone.

Apprehensively, she turned to the secret entrance on the side of the tower, one she'd discovered long ago when the HIVE had taken control of the building for a time.

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She managed to reach the common room without any of the tower's defenses activating. Noting this, she relaxed slightly and called out, "Is anybody home?"

Nobody answered, but she didn't feel comfortable going any farther without talking to someone. She sat on the couch—only to jump back up! She'd accidentally sat on something alive, and it was hissing and spitting at being woken up. Then she got a good look as it calmed down. It was a green cat, and—wait a minute, green? "Beast Boy? Sorry, I didn't see you there," she said stiffly, still nervous about the whole thing.

About halfway through that line, the cat changed into the green elfish figure of Beast Boy.

"No problem. I guess I should've stayed in my human form, huh? That way I wouldn't have been made into a pancake." He grinned, and she visibly relaxed.

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"No. Should I be? But why are you here? Where's your boyfriend?" At this he put on a mischievous grin.

Her cheeks took on a faint reddish tinge. "You mean, Kid Flash?" she said, emphasizing the name. "I think he said something about a family reunion."

"I'll say," commented Beast Boy, his expression not changing in the slightest, but before he could say anything else, Raven's voice drifted into the room, right before she herself entered. "Beast Boy? Who're you talking to?" Her eyes locked onto Jinx immediately, and Jinx's nervousness came back full force. She and Raven had almost always faced off whenever their teams had battled in the past. If anyone was going to hold a grudge, the pale-faced empath standing before her was the most likely to do so.

But Raven didn't seem to object to Jinx being in the tower. True, she didn't look happy about it, but she rarely showed any emotion anyway.

At this point, Starfire flew into the room. Upon seeing Jinx, she immediately wrapped the sorceress in one of her infamous hugs. "Friend Jinx! Are you here for the celebration of this most festive event?" The sound of Jinx's spine cracking was distinctly audible.

"Uh, Starfire, I don't think she can breathe," Raven commented. "She won't be able to answer if she suffocates."

Jinx looked a little dazed as an abashed Starfire released her. But something the alien said must have penetrated, because she was able to ask weakly, "Friend?"

"Why would you not be our friend?" Starfire appeared confused. "After all, did you not help us in kicking the butt of the Brotherhood of Evil?"

"I-I guess so."

"And did not Kid Flash persuade you to leave the HIVE?" 

"I-I suppose."

"Marvelous! Now, will you be staying with us for the holiday?"

"Looks like she will. Her boyfriend dropped her off."

"Who?" Starfire's gaze moved from Jinx to Beast Boy and back again, a puzzled look on her face.

"He meant Kid Flash," Jinx answered, putting extra emphasis on the name, and shooting a glare at Beast Boy. At least she seemed to have been assured of her welcome.

"Don't worry about the little nuisance," commented Raven. Beast Boy spluttered at this insult to his stature. "If he makes fun of you, it means he sees you as a friend. It makes no sense, but that's the way it is."

Another voice and Titan entered the common room. "If _anyone_ understands his mind," ("Does he even have one?" muttered Raven. Beast Boy spluttered even more.) "I'd be surprised. He's a riddle." It was Cyborg. "Oh, hello Jinx." He turned, about to leave, when he registered whom he had greeted. He whirled. "Jinx? What are you doing here?"

"Well, like I told Starfire, I'm here for the holidays."

"Who's here for the holidays?" This was Robin, who was putting away his communicator as he entered. "Oh, hi, Jinx. Where's Kid Flash?"

She shot a warning glance at Beast Boy, who, having recovered his composure, grinned smugly back at her. "I think he said he had a family reunion to attend." She frowned, trying to remember the rest of what he said. "I believe he said he'd show up some time in the next day or two."

"Oh, good." He turned to Starfire. "I've invited everyone for Christmas. Bumblebee says she can't make it, but she'll talk to her team and see if any of them are willing." He switched to Beast Boy. "Also, some old friends of yours are coming."

"Who? The Doom patrol?"

"Uh, Beast Boy, they don't have communicators."

"Right. Sorry. So, who were you talking about?"

"You'll see," said Robin. "Now, Jinx, we're going to set you up in the guest rooms. If you'll just follow me?" He exited, followed by Jinx. Raven left, saying something about having to meditate, and ignoring Beast Boy's protestations that she'd just come from doing that. Cyborg left, presumably for the garage. Starfire mentioned that she would be in her room.

"Heh," chuckled Beast Boy without much enthusiasm. "I guess I'll just finish my catnap."

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**END A/N:** Sorry if anyone seems a bit OOC in this story. I hadn't seen all the episodes at the time I originally wrote it, so I undoubtedly missed a few character traits.

Then again, any OOCness can be explained by the fact that people change. It's a part of life. And who knows, maybe we're seeing some aspect of their personality we haven't seen before.

Oh, and that comment about the ear coverings on Kid Flash's ears making him look like a chicken, I actually do have a friend who says that. When he first saw the advertisement for "Lightspeed," that's what he thought the speedster was. If I'd actually seen the previews, I could've told him differently… Here's his response to what I said _** its not the ear things, it's the yellow suit with the spiky red hair. It reminds me of a rubber chicken. **_ Now, back to what I type. Ehem. I still maintain that I could've told you who it was. I saw him in the comics.

Finally, if anyone wants the full song, let me know in your review, via a PM, or in an e-mail, and I'll send it to you. And if you care to guess at any of the lines, and your guess is close enough to the mark, I'll give you a synopsis of the corresponding chapter, and possibly even a sneak preview, if I have enough of it typed. (Wink)


	2. Weathered Brothers

**A/N**: Let's see how long it takes for you to figure out what's going on, if the song's line doesn't give it away.

And thanks to everyone who reviewed: **Tsukikage1213**, **TheSamurai**, **Comicbookfan**, **Geojas378 **and **Shadow Crystal Mage**

Also, my thanks in advance to any latecomers who take the time to review the first chapter before reading this one. (Yes, I know. I'm a shameless--er, what's the wiord? I think it's plug, when you go asking for more reviews.)

**DISCLAIMER:** See chapter one

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_On the 2__nd__ day of Christmas, Jump City brought to me: 2 weathered brothers._

"Beast Boy, wake up. Get up you lazy, flea-bitten stray!" 

He woke with a scream. Becoming a cat, he jumped onto the nearest available surface, which happened to be Cyborg's head. However, Cyborg did not take kindly to getting clawed on the still-human part. "Yeow! Yo, Beast Boy, get off!" He tore the crazed green cat off and threw him to the floor, handed Raven something, then left with a rather disgruntled expression on his face.

Though once again a human, standing on two feet instead of four, Beast Boy still had a fearful expression on his face. "Whatever it was, I didn't do it!" He cringed, as if expecting to get hit.

"Whatever. I don't really care. But Robin's ordered you and me to go buy food, and Cyborg just gave me the list." Her hand came out from underneath the cloak, holding a piece of paper.

"But we have plenty of tofu!"

She stared at him until he glanced down and started muttering. "OK! OK, I admit I'm the only one who eats it. Fine, I'll go with you. Just don't make me buy any meat!"

She handed him the paper. "What?" She gestured at it. He looked. And did a double take. "No meat! Sweet! I always knew someone would agree with me eventually!"

She grabbed the list back with a glare. "Cyborg's getting it. Robin and Starfire went with him."

His ears drooped slightly, like an unhappy dog. "I don't understand what the tin man sees in those dead animals! It's like he's eating me, for—"

She cut him off. "Shut up. I witness your meat vs. tofu battle enough at breakfast. DON'T bring me into it." She stared pointedly at him.

"Aw, come on, Rae—"

"And don't call me Rae! My name is _Raven_. Now come on. I'd like to get this done so I can get back to my book." And before he could protest, she wrapped both herself and Beast Boy in black energy and teleported them both to the store.

Three hours later, two mountains of groceries lumbered out.

"Please don't teleport me again! That gives me the creeps." One mountain of bags shivered violently, as if it were shuddering in an earthquake, but didn't stop moving down the sidewalk.

Raven's voice came from behind the other. "How else do you suggest we get all this stuff _and_ ourselves home?" The ice in her tone was palpable—possibly due in part to the fact that she had to walk at all under the load she was carrying.

"Um, um, you could teleport the stuff, and we—I could fly home." A strong gust of wind followed his words, as if mocking that idea. A loose paper fluttered by.

"Really? In this weather? Go ahead. If you die, I can't be blamed for it." Her words were punctuated by an even stronger gust of wind, a few drops of rain, and a distant rumbling. The paper blowing in the wind blew up out of sight.

"OK." There was a pause. "Hey! I'm not _that_ annoying. Admit it. You like me, even if it's just a little."

Her only response was to teleport them both (and their respective burdens) back to the tower.

After he recovered from his reaction to her chosen method of transportation, and Raven had levitated the groceries into the cupboard, a thought occurred to him. "That's weird weather. I thought the weatherman said there'd be sun today!"

"You do know he's not a seer, right? He's not always right."

He continued on his rant as if he hadn't heard a word she said. "He said there was NO chance of showers! As in zero rain! Zilch! Maybe some fluffy clouds!"

"Face it, Beast Boy. Not everything you see on TV is true." That statement penetrated, but it didn't get the expected reaction.

"It's not?" He looked at her incredulously. "You expect me to believe that?"

A vein throbbed on her temple, but whatever cutting remark she might have made was drowned out by a crash of thunder that reverberated throughout the tower.

Beast Boy became a small kitten and leapt onto her shoulder, trembling furiously and displaying wide eyes before he tucked himself into her hood. Even Raven started (causing a nearby light bulb to explode), caught off guard by the suddenness of the sound that hadn't been heralded by a warning flash of lightning.

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"Aw, man!" protested Cyborg, holding out his hand and gazing at the sky as the first few drops fell. "I just washed the T-car! Why does it have to rain now?" he asked, shaking a clenched fist at the uncaring sky.

"Oh, quit complaining, Cyborg. You know how much you love polishing it anyway. This is just one more excuse." Robin finished placing their shopping bags in the trunk and closed it. Starfire giggled at his comment.

"Whatever." But Cyborg did cheer up a little at the idea of spending a little more time with his "baby," as he too often put it. He got behind the wheel, and as soon as the other two had gotten in and buckled their seat belts, he took off.

Soon, however, visibility became poor, even with the lights on at the most powerful setting and the windshield wipers going full throttle, and Cyborg was forced to slow down their speed to no more than a crawl to avoid an accident.

As Starfire stared out her window, she could swear that she saw a flash of lightning nearby, and waited to hear the thunder—but it didn't come. She shook her head and tried to convince herself that she'd only seen a faulty light post.

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In Jinx's room, the enchantress was just stirring, having not yet fully adjusted to the coastal time zone. She was brought to full consciousness by a loud BOOM, which also had the effect of causing her to shoot bolt upright.

Cautiously, she stood up and walked toward the door. Upon obtaining that location, she peeked out, checking for intruders—but saw no one, and breathed a sigh of relief.

But immediately, there was another loud sound—the growling of a stomach that has gone too long without nourishment of some kind. Her stomach, specifically. She left for the kitchen that adjoined the common room.

On the way there, she passed by a window to the outside. She saw a flash of lightning, and heard the accompanying thunder.

Just as she reached the kitchen and was about to open the refrigerator, a nearby light bulb exploded a split second after another loud crash of thunder vibrated the entire tower.

In her fright, a small burst of pink energy was channeled into the refrigerator, and the door fell off. "Oops." As she clumsily tried to put it back, she noticed two things. One, there was absolutely nothing in the refrigerator except a small, bluish something (which seemed to move before her very eyes), and two, someone was quietly muttering in the background.

"All right, Beast Boy, you can get out of my hood now." She managed to get the door to stay, trapping that—whatever-it-was inside, and turned around to see Raven with her back facing the kitchen. There was movement inside her hood, and the green head of kitten Beast Boy popped out.

He leaped to the ground, changed, and was about to answer, when he saw "Jinx?" Raven whirled. "Please tell me you didn't see that," pleaded Beast Boy.

"See what?"

"Nothing," interjected Raven. "Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing."

"Right." Jinx cleared her throat, and in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence following her statement, asked "Do you guys have any food around here? I'm practically starving, and there's nothing in the fridge." She winced as the door fell off again, hitting the kitchen floor with a thud. "Sorry," she said quickly. "That last crash of thunder startled me."

"Don't worry! We don't use it much anyway. We leave it to the blue slime." He shuddered, then pointed to the cupboards. "We put our real food in there." He marched over to the one next to the sink, pulled it open, and grabbed several bananas.

Raven brewed some herbal tea, and sat down next to Jinx, who was munching on some apple slices with peanut butter spread on them. But just as Raven took her first sip, the lights went out.

They didn't come back on. "Looks like the backup generator our resident robot was talking about doesn't work. But I have something that will." Shuffling feet could be heard going from the table, and a moment later coming back to it. There was a spark, and their faces were illuminated dimly by the flickering flame of a single candle, which became two. Both were set on the table, and Beast Boy sat back down.

Silence reigned for a few more seconds, but he couldn't help but try and make a joke out of their situation. "Well, I never thought I'd be sitting down to a candlelight dinner with _two_ beautiful ladies!" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

After a bit of shocked silence, Jinx turned to Raven and asked, "Can I hex him?"

"Be my guest." Beast Boy's smug look disappeared as he shot up from the table, backed up a few steps, then turned tail and ran from the room. A few seconds later the other two heard him run headlong into a wall. The two girls glanced each other, shrugged, and resumed their impromptu meal.

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Back in the T-car, Starfire clung tightly to Robin, her eyes widened in fear as blast after blast of thunder made itself heard. The aforementioned Boy Wonder had originally gotten into the car with a knowing smirk, but did not now appear even remotely amused at his predicament. He struggled to remove his right arm from her inhuman grip, first freeing his elbow, then inch by inch until his wrist came loose, then very carefully each of his fingers in turn.

Once his arm was completely free, he wiggled his fingers, just make sure they still worked. Satisfied that indeed, no lasting damage had been done, he grabbed the communicator from his utility belt, and asked Cyborg to park the car.

"Fine," grumbled Cyborg, his blue metal fingers turning the steering wheel. "Can't see anything in this storm anyway." He turned off the car.

Robin flipped open his communicator. "All right you two, knock it off. Do you want to destroy the city?"

And just like that, the blinding flashes of lightning and the deafening thunderclaps ceased. Robin's two companions stared at him with questioning looks pasted on their faces, while the unending torrent of rain continued to beat a staccato rhythm on the roof of the car.

_**(If you fans haven't figured out who it is by now, you're hopeless!)**_

Later, once again back at the tower, Beast Boy was just recovering from his concussion. He blinked several times, then slowly lifted himself off the floor and onto his feet, swaying dizzily. As he leaned against the wall for support (incidentally, the same wall that had knocked him unconscious), the lights flickered, then came back on—to full brightness. "Ow! Too bright! Too bright!" he shouted, using an arm to shield his dilated pupils from the glare.

"So, you're awake." Raven's voice sounded—amused?

"Raven? Could you help me? It hurts!" He removed his arm from in front of his face, revealing his watering eyes, now narrow slits rather like a cat's, and a livid, throbbing bruise on his forehead.

She winced, despite herself, but responded only with "Maybe."

"Maybe? But it hurts!" His tears weren't faked, either; he truly was in pain.

"If you tell us you're sorry, I might heal you." She remained impassive.

"Huh…?" He broke off whatever else he might have said, and whimpered.

Jinx, who'd walked up next to Raven, understood his question, and answered. "For the comment you made while we were eating."

"Oh, that? I was making a joke! I didn't mean it! Not one bit!"

A flicker of some emotion crossed Raven's face at that comment, but it was gone a fraction of a second later. Jinx had been giving her full attention to Beast Boy, and missed it, and the changeling was too wrapped up in his pain to notice such minute details.

However, whatever the mysterious emotion might have been, it seemed she considered his words to be an adequate apology; she moved her hands over the bruise. The obsidian energy she was known for surrounded those hands, and wove its way into Beast Boy's forehead. Slowly, the bruise disappeared.

Once it was gone, she removed her hand, and Beast Boy gave her a grateful smile. "Heh, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

His look became apologetic, and his ears drooped. "I'm sorry about what I said. Can you forgive me?"

Raven's jaw dropped. An outright apology? From Beast Boy? However, Jinx was not as familiar with his normal attitude, and accepted the apology at face value. "Yes."

Jinx's answer brought Raven back to reality. She wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself, bringing up the hood, and answered herself. "I suppose…" She was saved from having to answer further by the entrance of the rest of the team—who had two more teens in tow.

Beast Boy commented on these two. "So THIS is what you meant by 'old friends.'" Jinx raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

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"I've got you now!" exclaimed Cyborg, as his car on the TV overtook another, causing it to crash in an explosive simulated fireball. But his pronouncement was premature, as another car came up from behind and did the same to his. "What? Hey, you can't do that! Nobody beats me at Ultra Demolition Derby 3! I demand a rematch!"

"Lightning wins! Only my brother Thunder is a match for me!" This high-pitched voice came from the skinny guy in red samurai armor, armor with a yellow bolt of lightning emblazoned on the chest. He also had long, spiky white hair and nearly white skin that possessed a yellow tint. He jumped up and did a little celebratory dance, grabbing a handful of chips when he finished.

Beast Boy, whose simulated vehicle had been the one demolished first, commented to Cyborg. "Who'da thought Lightning would rule at video games, huh?" He got up to grab a slice of pizza from the kitchen counter.

"You're telling me," muttered Cyborg, sipping a can of soda. "I lost to a pointy-haired punk."

Robin glared at him, but nobody noticed.

"What did you call my brother? No one insults Lightning, except Thunder." Standing behind the couch was the source of this deep, almost bass voice: another figure in samurai armor. However, this one was totally different from the other. The armor was black, complete with a blue helmet and a white, puffy representation of a cloud on the chest. And the gray-skinned teen was anything but small. Rather, he was large, built like a lineman on a football team. He currently wore a scowl on his face. And the cookie he'd been munching on was crumbling in his clenched fist.

Cyborg hastily apologized. "Sorry, man, I didn't meant anything by it." This seemed to satisfy Thunder, who grabbed another cookie.

"Hey, brother," Lightning said, "didn't you have loser's spot? I want a REAL challenge."

It was Beast Boy's turn to scowl, but remarkably, he didn't say a word, instead sullenly handed the control to Thunder, who sat his bulk on the couch and restarted the game.

But Robin paused it and stood up to stretch. "Well, guys, I've got to go organize some files. See you tomorrow! You want to play?" Jinx, who'd just entered, shook her head. "I just came to grab a snack" She snagged a slice of pie and once again left.

Robin shrugged. "Then here, you can have it." He handed the control over to an ecstatic Beast Boy and exited the common room, stopping only to finish his scoop of ice cream and drop his bowl and spoon in the sink.

Starfire, who'd been watching from the other end of the couch, also stood up, a half-empty gallon container of mustard in her hand. Quite loudly, she called, "Friends, I believe I must also depart. I…I require sleep." She hurried out after Robin.

The rest of them paid no notice, and continued playing mind-rotting games and gorging themselves on assorted junk foods until the early hours of the next day. They were all zonked out and snoring by the time an incredulous Raven entered the kitchen for her usual morning cup of herbal tea.

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_Paris, France: the location of the Brotherhood of Evil's final base of operations_

Blackness swallowed the farthest reaches of the floor and walls. The ceiling was beyond sight altogether. But even if there had been enough light, no observer would have been able to detect a single motion throughout the vast, cavernous room. The only sound that disturbed the otherwise unbroken silence was the occasional whirring of some mechanical device that was loyally waiting on standby for its defeated masters, or the beeping of the monitors that stood faithful guard over the statue-like, ice-covered figures along one wall.

All of a sudden, the silence was broken by a new sound. It wasn't particularly loud, but it did not belong, and for that reason alone called attention to itself. It was the sound of footsteps; someone had arrived. But the shadows that obscured the room also served to hide this person's features, so the hypothetical observer would not have been able to identify the intruder. They would only have been able to tell that it came from what would have been the left if one were facing the cryogenically frozen beings.

Slowly, the unknown person made their way to the first in the line, what looked like a giant human brain, and on past it. It passed three more, which included a wizened old man, a massive gorilla with an almost human sarl of rage, and a darkly beautiful woman. Once beyond these, it stopped to glance briefly back at them, and shook its head. It finally spoke. The voice was chilling; the evil contained within it palpable enough to send shivers down the spine of any listener. "What a waste. They could have accomplished great things, but they grew overconfident. Too many followers led them think they were invincible. They cannot be used."

His analysis apparently finished, the figure moved on to several more figures: a short, obese man with what appeared to be a remote control in his hand; a scrawny young adult who looked like he would be snoring away even if he wasn't frozen; a humanoid who looked like several giant slabs of concrete; and a group of male teens with slightly shocked expressions on their faces. A small, seemingly insignificant computer chip, however, is what received the most attention of all. "You. You will be the key to unlocking what I need."

With that cryptic statement, he took a device from a pouch at his waist, and began unfreezing those he had decided would be helpful in achieving his goals…

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**END A/N:** Whew! I almost stalled, writing this chapter. The engine of inspiration spluttered and nearly died for a few days. But I managed to coax it back to life to finish the second half! So long, writer's block! Of course, by the time any of you read this, I should have written the next six or seven chapters, so I'll be able to update fairly regularly. I don't even know why I'm bothering to tell you I had writer's block…

Again, if you want the full song for a chance to guess at the lines, I would be happy to oblige.


	3. Lightspeed Racers

**A/N**-Again, thanks to all my reviewers--**Kioyuki Oniga**, **Splint**, **Shadow Crystal Mage**, and **StarWonder09**. And whoever the anonymous reviewer was, you also have my thanks. 

**DISCLAIMER:** See chapter one

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_On the 3__rd__ day of Christmas, Jump City brought to me: 3 lightspeed racers._

What greeted the eyes of Kid Flash when he arrived looked like nothing less than a disaster zone. Wrappers littered the floor, as well as plates and bowls of unfinished food. Pop cans surrounded the couch, and the words GAME OVER were prominently displayed on the flickering TV screen in front of four unconscious teens sprawled over the furniture; each of which clutched a video game controller tightly to his chest.

Shaking his head, he lifted his eyes to make eye contact with Raven, who was sitting at the kitchen table. She shrugged her shoulders and returned to sipping her tea.

Just then, Robin entered. He also shook his head, and turned to Starfire, who was just behind him. "This reminds me of the time Silky…" Then he noticed Kid Flash. "Oh, hi. Sorry about the mess." He gestured with his left arm. "Looks like they went a little too far last night." Now he addressed Raven. "Wake them up, will you? We don't want this mess when our last two guests arrive."

"With pleasure." An evil smirk crossed her lips. She levitated a pail into the sink, filled it with cold water, and carried it over to Beast Boy. Slowly she positioned it over his open, drooling mouth, then all at once, flipped it. He shot up, transforming into a cat in midair just as he had the day before, and dived under the couch with an earsplitting shriek. However, that was no refuge, as Raven reached under and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. She dragged him out, unheeding of the hisses and claw swipes targeted at her, and looked him in the eye. He froze, then became human once more. Now she grabbed the tip of one ear, which was followed by his protest. "Du-ude!"

"Get to work," she said, shoving the pail into his chest and releasing his ear. He stumbled but caught himself, giving her a questioning look.

"I want it cleaned up. Yesterday," Robin elaborated.

"How is he to clean this place before it was dirtied? I do not understand," Starfire inquired. "Does this have something to do with the Warp?"

Every other conscious being in the room sweatdropped. "Star, it's just an expression. I just meant I want it cleaned up as fast as possible."

"I…see." Her puzzled frown disappeared, replaced by her usual radiant smile. "Then shall we not proceed?" she said, picking up several food wrappers and tossing them in the garbage bin under the sink.

This prompted the others into action. Raven woke each of the others in turn (for some reason not taking as much pleasure as when she woke the changeling). Robin began picking up the leftover food and putting the dishes in the sink for Beast Boy to wash and scrub, while Kid flash looked on, unsure how to help.

Robin solved his dilemma. "Cyborg, take our guests to their rooms."

Cyborg yawned but didn't protest, obediently leading Thunder, Lightning, and Kid Flash into the hall.

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By the time Jinx got up around noon, the common room was spotless once more. Not one shred of evidence remained to prove there had been a party the night before. In fact, it looked exactly the same as two days ago, right down to the slumbering Beast Boy curled up on the couch.

She shrugged. It was quiet, which would suit her just fine. She sat down on the floor, her back against the sofa's back, and opened the book she'd been carrying. Soon she was as oblivious to the world as the unconscious form on the other side of the piece of furniture.

She didn't even notice when two other persons looking for peace and quiet wandered in—Raven and Starfire. They each took one look at the sorceress with her nose buried in the book, then calmly placed themselves in front of the window. They began hovering, folding their legs into the lotus position, and closed their eyes. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos…" And the room had two more oblivious occupants.

But the peace and quiet was not to last.

The first Jinx knew of the disturbance was when a flash of color streaked past her. It stirred up the pages her book and caused her to lose her place. She slammed it shut, displaying a unicorn prominently on the back cover, and stood up, turning to face the source of her irritation. "How many times do I…" she began, but trailed off. It was not Kid Flash she saw.

Instead, whoever it was, was about half his height. Two someones, to be exact. Two nearly identical someones. They were dressed in white suits and gloves and red wristbands and shoes. On each of their chests was a red circle, outlined in black and containing a white symbol. That symbol was the only way they differed—one had a minus symbol, while the other had a plus.

They spoke, startling the other occupants: Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire each fell to the floor with a thud and wide eyes, whirling to face the twins in between them. The aforementioned twins spoke in unison. "¡Hola, amigos¡Más y Menos, en su servicio!" Everyone else blinked, but Raven recovered and introduced them. "Más and Menos, Jinx. Jinx, meet Más and Menos." And, with that out of the way, she left, presumably to find a more quiet place to meditate.

"Um, hi you guys," said Beast Boy. "Long time no see!"

"Hola, señor Beast Boy."

Starfire greeted them. "Hello, friends! You are also here to partake of this season of joy and making merry?" They started, as if they had not noticed her, then smiled, little hearts seeming to float out of their eyes—until they each saw that the other was doing so. They immediately turned on each other in a flurry of fists. Starfire tried to break them up. "Please friends, do not fight." She tried to pry them apart, to no avail. Even though they were fighting, they were still in contact with each other, and were therefore going at light-speed.

Jinx looked on, confused, until Beast Boy explained. "They've had a crush on her since the first time they met, after Brother Blood was stopped from taking over Titan's East tower. It's kind of funny, cause they only speak Spanish." He looked uncharacteristically thoughtful for a moment. "Say, do you think Kid Flash would like to meet them? They have the same power he does."

"I noticed. Maybe they should, if you can get those two to stop fighting." But as she said that, Starfire was finally successful in putting an end to the fight, separating the twins with a well-placed bolt of green energy from her hand (this energy was called a starbolt). As she scolded them, alternating between English and Tamaranian, they turned face-to-face, apologetic expressions on their faces, and clung to each other, tears welling in their eyes. They began chattering away at each other in rapid-fire Spanish.

As Jinx left to get Kid Flash, they were sitting down on the couch and turning on the TV to the Spanish channels.

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"So you're saying, they have the same power I do?" Kid Flash scratched his head. "I thought it was unique."

"Who knows, they might even be faster than you." She grinned like the Cheshire cat.

He narrowed his eyes. "Even if they are fast, they can't be faster than me!"

"Then prove it. Challenge them to a race."

"All right, I will." He left in a blur of colors.

"This should be interesting." As she was about to exit, she stopped, frowning in concentration as if she was trying to remember something. "Did I tell him they don't speak English?"

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The racer stopped only long enough to let the door to the living room open, then zipped inside to issue his challenge. He stopped in front of the TV, but facing the small twins on the couch. They were staring with wide eyes and dropped jaws. "I hear you two are speedsters. It just so happens I am too, and would like to race to see who's the faster." They managed to get their jaws hinged again, and the next instant, they were in his face, with one standing on the shoulders of the other. "¡Hey, le recordamos¡Usted nos ayudó hacia fuera con Brotherhood of Evil¿Cuál es su nombre¿Usted habla español?"

This set Kid Flash back. "Um, sorry, I don't speak Spanish, but I can learn it. Be right back."

He zipped off to the city library, where the librarians were helpful enough to point him to the right section. "Let's see," he said, looking through the languages. "German, French…ah, Spanish." He removed it from the shelf and began flipping through the pages—at the same speed he ran. In a mere matter of moments he was done. Putting it back, he reached for the next volume, then the next, until he'd gone through all the books they had on the subject.

Armed with his new knowledge, he high-tailed it back to the tower within fifteen minutes of when he'd left.

Again he issued his challenge to the twins, but in flawless Spanish. "Mi nombre es Kid Flash. Me le dicen que dos sean rápidos como mí. ¿Usted cuidaría para competir con?" He glanced at Starfire, who was quietly snacking on…something. "Y la impresionaría, yo piensa."

The twins glanced at each other. "¿Debemos aceptar el desafío?" They looked at Kid Flash. "Excúsenos por algunos segundos. Necesitamos discutir esto." They zipped out, then zipped back ten seconds later. "Lo haremos." Kid Flash muttered under his breath. "They're faster than I thought. This should be interesting."

Out loud he spoke again to the twins. "Necesitaríamos a árbitro." He turned to fully face Starfire. "We would like to have a race, but we need a judge. Would you care to referee?"

"I would be most delighted to do so. When shall this event take place?"

He consulted with the twins, then spoke in English once again. "Tomorrow morning, at nine o'clock."

"I must inform the others!" She was so excited she flew right out the door.



"A race, huh?" Beast Boy grinned. "Now this I've gotta see!"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning. They agreed to hold it at nine."

"Well, I'll tell Cyborg. You go ahead and tell the others." As Starfire flew off down the hall and around the corner, Beast Boy did an about-face and knocked on the door behind him. A few moments passed. He knocked again, louder. "All right, Cyborg, I know you're in there! Wake up!"

Just as he was about to knock a third time, the door slid open. "What do ya want?" Cyborg questioned. He covered his yawn with his right hand.

"Some of your friends from Titans East are here. Más and Menos."

"Really?" He tried to stifle another yawn. "That's interesting, but you didn't have to wake me up just to tell me that."

"Dude, why're you still tired? I woke up ages ago, and I was up late as you! Anyway, what I wanted to tell you was, they're having a race with Kid Flash tomorrow morning, at nine."

This caught Cyborg's attention, and woke him up slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah." Beast Boy confirmed. Then a sly look crossed his face. "Say, the winner should get a prize."

"Yeah… hey, I know that look. What exactly did you have in mind?"

Beast Boy stood on tiptoes and began whispering in Cyborg's ear. As he spoke, Cyborg's expression began to match his.

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Starfire found the next person in the training room. "Robin?" He apparently didn't hear her, continuing to deliver blows to the punching bag. "Robin!" He caught the bag to stop its swinging and turned his head. He smiled when he turned to face her. "Sorry Starfire, I didn't hear you."

"Why are you training so hard? Are not all our enemies frozen with the Brotherhood of Evil?"

"You shouldn't forget, new enemies could appear. And no, there's at least one enemy that is still unaccounted for. Slade." He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he said the name. "I don't plan to be caught off guard by him any more." But his eyes softened—he never could stay angry around her. "But you didn't come here to hear about my grudge. What did you want?"

She was mentally thrown off-balance by the abrupt change of topic. "Um, I, uh, came to, to tell you," she stammered.

"Yes?" He quietly encouraged her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, Friend Kid Flash, and the twins Más and Menos, they are going to have a race tomorrow morning, at the time of nine. They have asked me to judge the fairness of the contest."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "That sounds good. I could find out just how strong their abilities are. But they forgot one thing." He removed his hand from her shoulder. "They need a course to run."

"Oh! I did not think of that!" She bit her lip, her eyes downcast. Robin tilted her head back up with a curled finger under her chin. He smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can think of something." After considering this for a few seconds, she smiled back and gave him a hug, this one more gentle than usual.

"Well, I still have Raven, Thunder, and Lightning to inform." She kissed him on the cheek and flew off again.

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Starfire had barely knocked once before Lightning's door opened. "Yes?"

"I wish to inform you of a race tomorrow between three of your fellow guests. The one known as Kid Flash will be competing with the twins Más and Menos from the Titans East, to see who is truly the most swift."

He considered that for a few seconds. "This isn't a normal race, is it?"

"No it is not. They have powers that allow them to go at very high velocities."

He didn't hesitate in responding with, "Sounds like fun. I'll be there!"

Thunder's door was just across the hall, but before she'd even taken the three steps necessary to stand in front of it, it opened to reveal the room's occupant. "You don't need to repeat it. I heard you telling my brother. I too think it sounds like fun. But are there any other events planned?"

Starfire hesitated. "I…am not aware of any."

"There's still more than a week until Christmas. There need to be more things to do."

Starfire adopted a thoughtful expression. "You are correct. I shall inform Robin of this."

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Raven did not answer right away after she was informed of the competition. She stared at Starfire for several seconds before answering in a bored tone. "I suppose. I don't really have anything better to do."

"Marvelous! I am glad you wish to join us. But, what do you mean, 'nothing better to do?'"

"I can't meditate all day."

"But there are other things you can do during this most joyous of times!"

"Such as…?"

"You could go to the Mall of shopping to obtain gifts for the others, or find decorations appropriate to the season of festivity."

Raven looked a little taken aback at that. "I see…anyway, I'll be there tomorrow."

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"Everyone has been informed, and they will all be there to observe."

"That's great! Now we need to plan a course."

Robin and Starfire bent their heads over a map of the city. Said map included the surrounding countryside and coastline, which provided varying types of terrain for the potential track: desert, beaches, suburban neighborhoods, and rocky slopes. And, of course, the ocean was not to be ruled out, either, considering the velocity of the contestants. After several hours of arguing and debating, they worked out a course that seemed satisfactory. They stood strait once more, stretching to get the soreness out of their back muscles.

"Any more changes you want to make?" Robin questioned.

"No, it seems like it will be a most challenging race the way we have it." She began to exit his room, but stopped in the doorframe. Turning around to face Robin once more, she said, "I almost forgot. Friend Thunder said we needed to have more to do than merely one race. I know we have shopping for presents and decorations, but do you have planned any other events we might enjoy participating in while we are not doing this?"

He gave her a grin. "Don't worry, I've got a few things in mind. How do you feel about having some other—contests?"

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A few hours later it was the middle of the night. The halls were dark and no one was awake to notice the silent shadow slipping through the tower. Whenever it reached a door, it stopped and touched the frame for several seconds before moving on. Even the door into the living room received the figure's attention for a moment.

But one door in particular received more than the cursory inspection, a door that had what appeared to be a nameplate attached at about eye level; however, it was too dark to read whatever might have been engraved upon it. The figure stood at that door for well over two minutes, doing something indiscernible, before finally moving on. Only one other door received the special attention of the first, one that bore another nameplate. Before long the figure had covered the tower from the basement to the roof, and slipped out whatever way it had come in.

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**END A/N: **Whew! That's the longest chapter yet!

As for this mysterious shadow, who is it? What was its purpose? Was it friend or foe? Does it have anything to do with yesterday's mysterious figure? These questions and more will be answered in later chapters. Stay tuned to find out!

Oh, and that thing about Kid Flash's speed learning, it's actually true. I didn't make it up. In the comics this show is based off of, Bart Allen, the third Kid Flash, absorbed the knowledge of the entire San Francisco Public Library in just a few hours. He may not be the same Kid Flash featured in the show, but something like that would definately run in the family.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!** Although I have the general outline of this story ironed out, and the major points plotted, I would welcome suggestions for the story. Anything, from other games and activities (I already have shopping planned, but maybe they could watch a movie?), to traditions that could lead to interesting situations (like mistletoe, wink wink) will be welcomed. Any suggestion will be duly considered, given a fair hearing.


End file.
